Unlocking the promise of immunotherapy
“Our bodies are hardwired to deal with infections. Using immunotherapy, we can ‘turn on’ the immune system to fight cancer.” – Zihai Li, MD, PhD
Zihai Li, MD, PhD, is a professor of Internal Medicine and a renowned cancer immunologist and medical oncologist who holds the Klotz Chair in Cancer Research at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. As a physician-scientist, his curiosity and commitment to service guide his efforts to develop and expand treatments that activate the immune system to combat cancer.
Dr. Li’s research initiatives are proven to accelerate advancements in using the immune system’s natural ability to fight infections and help harness the body’s defenses against cancer and other diseases.
“Identifying how the immune system can go wrong can help us develop therapies that correct those errors and deliver effective immunotherapy to more patients,” Dr. Li says. “Using immunotherapy, we can ‘turn on’ the immune system to fight cancer.”
In 2019, Dr. Li’s expertise in immuno-oncology, which uses the body’s own natural defense systems to target and destroy cancer cells, led him to become the founding director of the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology (PIIO) at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute. There, he leads a team of researchers from a spectrum of scientific disciplines in a collective effort to find the next generation of immuno-oncology drugs. Many PIIO researchers have trained their focus on immunotherapy because they believe it holds the key to curing cancer.
“Together we’re studying the effectiveness of combining different immunotherapies with cancer-centric strategies such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation,” Dr. Li says. “This requires everyone to work together to tackle this disease in a fundamentally different way.”
Dr. Li and his team have made groundbreaking contributions toward cracking the cancer code. Translating their findings from laboratory discoveries into clinical applications has opened new avenues for therapeutic interventions and more effective treatments that will, ultimately, save lives.
His passion and dedication are also receiving recognition. In 2024, the Ohio State College of Medicine awarded Dr. Li the inaugural Dean’s Excellence Award for Faculty Research.
Carol R. Bradford, MD, MS, FACS, dean of the College of Medicine, says Dr. Li’s peers nominated him for the award because they see the excellence and the innovative contributions he brings to research, patient care and community service.
“Dr. Li’s leadership and his passion for finding a cure for cancer have forged strong, collaborative relationships, which engage teams across disciplines to significantly impact the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this disease,” Dr. Bradford says. “He is truly a shining example of dedicated service and a commitment to improving lives.”
Learn more about how researchers at the Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology are viewing the body’s immune system in a holistic way to transform cancer care.
